This is why police and coastguard were searching at Fairlight beach, near Hastings

More than a dozen suspected migrants landed on the beach in Fairlight on Saturday (September 18), police have confirmed.

By Richard Gladstone

Published 20th Sep 2021, 12:11 BST

A police helicopter was despatched and the coastguard carried out a search.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Police were made aware of a group of suspected migrants landing on Fairlight Beach, Hastings, at 4.50pm on Saturday (September 18).

“Officers supported by the NPAS police helicopter and the coastguard conducted a search of the area and detained 15 people who were handed over to Border Force.”

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said Hastings and Rye Bay Coastguard Rescue Teams and Hastings RNLI assisted Border Force with the incident at Fairlight.